1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording medium, a reproducing method and apparatus for reproducing the recording medium, and an optical recording medium. More particularly, it relates to a recording medium, a reproducing method and apparatus for reproducing the recording medium, and an optical recording medium, in which the medium has at least first and second recording layers.
2. Background of the Invention
As a recording medium for variable information, such as the audio or video information, there is widely used an optical disc for reproducing the information recorded on the recording medium using a light bean. Such an optical disc has been proposed in which plural recording layers are provided for increasing the volume of the recordable information.
In a routine optical disc having plural recording layers, the information is recorded on each recording layer so that the information recorded on the respective recording layer is sequentially reproduced from one recording layer to another. That is, in this optical disc, the information recorded in the respective recording layers is reproduced by reproducing the information recorded on one recording layer after reproducing the information recording on another recording layer.
Alternatively, one of plural sectors provided on a recording layer of an optical disc is reproduced after reproducing another sector.
It may be seen that, in the routine multi-layered optical disc, in which the recording capacity is increased by providing plural recording layers, the information recorded in the respective recording layers is reproduced without pertinence to one another. So, the information recorded in the respective recording layers is simply reproduced as the information has been recorded in the respective recording layers
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a recording medium which resolves the above-mentioned problem.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a reproducing apparatus which resolves the above-mentioned problem.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a reproducing method which resolves the above-mentioned problem.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an optical recording medium which resolves the above-mentioned problem.
According to the present invention, there is provided a recording medium at least having a first recording layer for recording the first information and a second recording layer for recording the second information. A discriminating signal indicating the playback mode is recorded on at least one of the first and second recording layers.
According to the present invention, there is also provided a recording medium at least having a first recording layer for recording the first information and a second recording layer for recording the second information. A discriminating signal representing a playback mode is recorded in the first or second recording layer read out first at the time of reproduction.
According to the present invention, there is provided a reproducing apparatus for a recording medium. The recording medium includes at least a first recording layer in which the first information is recorded, and a second recording layer in which the second information is recorded. In at least one of the first recording layer and the second recording layer, there is recorded a discriminating signal at least indicating whether or not the first information recorded in the first recording layer and the second information recorded in the second recording layer are to be calculated and reproduced. The reproducing apparatus includes a readout unit, a reproducing processing unit and a controller. The readout unit reads out the first or second information from the recording medium. The reproducing processing unit applies signal processing to an output signal from the readout unit. The controller switches the reproduction processing unit based on the discriminating signal read out by the readout unit.
According to the present invention, there is provided a reproducing method for reproducing a recording medium. The recording medium includes at least a first recording layer in which the first information is recorded, and a second recording layer in which the second information is recorded. In at least one of the first recording layer and the second recording layer, there is recorded a discriminating signal at least indicating whether or not the first information recorded in the first recording layer and the second information recorded in the second recording layer are to be calculated and reproduced. The reproducing method reads out the first or second information from the recording medium and, based on the discriminating signal read out from the recording medium, switches the reproduction processing operation of the reproduction processing means fed with the first and second information read out from the recording medium based on the discriminating signal read out from the recording medium.
According to the present invention, there is also provided an optical recording medium including at least a first recording layer in which the first information is recorded and a second recording in which the second information is recorded. The first and second information are recorded so as to be accessed by movement within a field of view of the objective lens used for reading out the first and second information.